Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Driver assistance reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Apr 22, 2005
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
18%
of 55 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
5
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
7
What this page shows
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1988 Mercury Cougar submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Owner reports naming driver-assistance
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Driver assistance
Filed Apr 22, 2005
Crash reported1 injury reported
ON FEB 12, 1994 MY WIFE AND HER FRIEND TOOK MY RED 1988 MERCURY COUGAR LS TO CHURCH AT 6:30 PM. IT WAS AN EXTREMELY FOGGY EVENING. I RECEIVED A CALL AT THE HOUSE AT 6:50 PM THAT MY WIFE HAD BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND THAT I NEEDED TO COME TO THE SITE. MY CAR WAS IN MINT CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. WHEN I SAW THE CAR, IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!! MY WIFE, WITNESSES, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOODYEAR TIRE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS THE MERCURY COUGAR?S COMPUTER THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO GO FULL-THROTTLE. DIANE, MY WIFE AND PASSENGER TESTIFIED THAT WHEN THE ENGINE SURGED, SHE PUT BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE CAR. AFTER NO AVAIL, SHE APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SPIN INTO A HEAVILY TRAVELED INTERSECTION. AS THE VEHICLE SPUN, MY WIFE TRIED TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO ?PARK?. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE CHANGED INTO ?REVERSE?, SENDING THEM THROUGH A GAS STATION, AT FULL-THROTTLE, BACKWARDS. AT THIS TIME, THE PASSENGER PANICKED. SHE UNBUCKLED HER SEATBELT AND OPENED THE DOOR WHILE TRAVELING IN REVERSE. THE DOOR MOMENTARILY PINED HER TO THE GROUND, RESULTING IN MAJOR FRACTURES OF THE HIP AND OTHER MINOR INJURIES. THE CAR FINALLY CAME TO REST IN THE WOODS ADJACENT TO THE GAS STATION WITH MAJOR FRAME DAMAGE, A SEVERED FUEL LINE AND ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE DESTROYED. MY WIFE WAS SHAKEN, BUT NO INJURIES. WITNESSES STATED THEY CAME WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING THE GAS PUMPS. AT THE TIME, MY FATHER-IN-LAW, A RETIRED GM MECHANIC BLAMED THE EVENT ON MY WIFE. UNTIL I BECAME COMPUTER SMART AND HAVE READ SO MANY ARTICLES THIS WEEK ON FORD VEHICLES SURGING, I THOUGHT I HAD BETTER REPORT THIS INCIDENT TO HELP OTHERS WHO APPARENTLY HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE SAME EXPERIENCE. *JB
NHTSA ID
10118272
Incident
Feb 12, 1994
Mileage
60,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 11, 1999
Crash reported
WHILE DEPRESSING GAS PEDAL VEHICLE WENT INTO A FULL UNWANTED ACCELERATION. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER, CRUISE CONTROL DISCONNECTED. POSSIBLY FAULTY WIRING IN CRUISE CONTROL. *AK *ML
NHTSA ID
834749
Incident
Jan 20, 1999
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 25, 1997
WHEN STOPPING OR SHIFTING INTO PARK VEHICLE SUDDENLY RACES/ACCELERATES. *AK
NHTSA ID
521357
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 17, 1997
Crash reported1 injury reported
WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNCONTROLLABLY ACCELERATED INTO A BRICK WALL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOTALLED. *AK CONSUMER WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT. TP SENSOR REPLACED DUE TO STALLING. *SLC
NHTSA ID
816443
Incident
Sep 4, 1997
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 14, 1997
1 death reported
SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT/FATALITY.
NHTSA ID
514847
Incident
Sep 22, 1995
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 14, 1997
1 death reported
SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING VEHICLE ACCIDENT RESULTING IN DEATH.
NHTSA ID
505142
Incident
Sep 22, 1995
Driver assistance
Filed Dec 11, 1996
VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED.
NHTSA ID
512538
Incident
Dec 11, 1996
Driver assistance
Filed May 16, 1996
Crash reported1 injury reported
VEHICLE SURGED WHEN KEY PUT INTO CAR, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURY. *DH
NHTSA ID
504685
Incident
Apr 2, 1996
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 26, 1996
THROTTLE LINKAGE DEFECTIVE.(1ST VEHICLE ON 601564) *SD
NHTSA ID
503665
Incident
Mar 26, 1996
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 15, 1996
Crash reported1 injury reported1 death reported
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNEXPECTED AND UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FROM APARK POSITION. INDEPENDENT ENGINEER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE HOLDING THE THROTTLE OPENED, EA90-009. *AJ
NHTSA ID
502576
Incident
Sep 22, 1995
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own